Sorry if this has already been posted I hadn't seen it on this forum yet. The link is to a page where Olympus is talking about 5 new companies added to the micro fourthirds consortium but what I almost missed was at the very bottom where they say they are going to continue to develop and enhance both systems.

HERE IS THEIR STATEMENT AND THE LINK

As the company responsible for initiating both the Four Thirds System and Micro Four Thirds System standards, Olympus Imaging Corp. will continue to develop and enhance the product lineup for both standards to meet the diverse needs of our customers.

Alright all you naysayers out there put this in your pipe and smoke it, this is straight from the horses mouth and dated Jan 2013!

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"Don't Be Afraid To See What You See"Darrel

Before you do your "victory dance" look back all the press releases and all the different messages Olympus has been sending including Mr. Terada himself which talked about "one beautiful system."

As a timeline was never mentioned, and I also believe he himself mentioned it was proving more difficult than expected, I feel they have been far more open than many camera companies would be about product development.

I understand that though I would say there was also marketing involved. Remember the confidential presentation that leaked "E-5 stop gap until pro micro four thirds arrives." But anyway, what you mention is irrelevant to the point that there have been a lot of messages and directions, so to claim there was a known destination is re-writting some of what happened. That's all my point.

the company could have simply changed directions or maybe the micro+ adapter hybrid is still coming. Hard to tell with so many messages.

Maybe, there are a number of ways it could work, the fact they are using the full upgrade cycle of the E-X to develop a final product isnt a problem, and one clear message above all others is that our lenses will always have a body... but people like to ignore that one for speculation.

I certainly didn't ignore that, but "having a body" can mean different things. It could be a hybrid and body designed to use but not mainly use, 4/3rd lenses. But I certainly didn't ignore that.

The good news is the 4/3 lenses aren't left out in the cold (something I mentioned quite a long time back). As for the system itself, if its alive and well let's see the canned 4/3 telephoto macro come out and then we talk:-)

Well, it would be interesting, as a size relationship may better suit 43rds, but, if they produce a body with an adapter (included in the box) and the 100mm in micro43 the results are the same. As long as I can use my lenses with no compromise on a body, the system is alive an well...

The system is alive and well if it continues development. Doing the later is a backward compatibility move, not 4/3rds being "alive and well." You could say the lenses are supported- which is a good thing certainly, but alive and well means a system that continues being actively developed. For example, if the telephoto macro lens that was canned is brought back to the table and put out, then to me that's more what qualifies "alive and well" because otherwise it could be just a transition to get the SHG and other lenses off stock + the support and image of the company with the remaining 4/3rd owners.

And I am not saying that's a bad thing. I think it's great Olympus is supporting 4/3rd lenses. But that doesn't necessarily equate to new R&D money spent on the system to keep it moving forward. Of course if they decided to do that now that's another thing. It could also be a marketing statement to keep the impression the train is moving, and keep the image. In either case, supporting the previous lenses is a great move indeed.

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Raist3d/Ricardo (Photographer, software dev.)- I photograph black cats in coal mines at night...“The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” - George Orwell

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“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” -Ansel Adamsblog.alatchinphotography(dot)com

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Raist3d/Ricardo (Photographer, software dev.)- I photograph black cats in coal mines at night...“The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” - George Orwell